Leonardo Da Vinci: Shaping the Future in Singapore
Six paintings from the School of Leonardo and 26 pages from da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus are travelling to Singapore from one of the world’s great Renaissance museums, Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, Italy. Unique and prestigious masterpieces on display at the major exhibition Da Vinci: Shaping the Future, open to the public from 15 November 2014 to 17 May 2015, thanks to the collaboration with the Foundation Cardinale Federico Borromeo.Original masterpieces from the world’s most celebrated genius of Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, will be making their Southeast Asian debut at ArtScience Museum, enhancing the international excellence of Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan as a symbol of the most famous ancient art in the world.The exhibition will focus on five key domains of da Vinci’s mastery: Mathematics, natural sciences, technology, architecture and music. “We are excited to share with ArtScience Museum’s visitors the original pieces from our collection that are travelling to Singapore for the first time.” Said Monsignor Franco Buzzi, Prefect of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana.The exhibition recalls the 2013 exhibition of Leonardo’s artworks at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. “I am confident that this initiative will reinforce the cultural exchange between West and Asian culture, based on the universal values of art and science”, added Monsignor Buzzi.As the largest bound collection of da Vinci’s drawings and writings, the Codex Atlanticus, which contains pages dated from 1478 to 1519, covers his whole artistic lifetime.The most important pages are those related to his studies on the flight of birds. Although he was born more than 500 years ago, he designed a multitude of mechanical devices for flight. One of the highlights of Da Vinci: Shaping the Future is a drawing, Mechanical Wing (circa 1490) modeled on the wings of birds and seen as the basis of the modern aircraft. It is emblematic of da Vinci’s status as an innovator, a modern-thinker and a man ahead of his time.ArtScience Museum is also providing visitors with the rare opportunity to view masterpieces from the School of Leonardo – dating from the end of 15th century and the early 16th century – such as Saint John the Baptist , The Adoration of Saint Roch and Portrait of a Lady.
